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Why is Obama tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, really?
| New York
Within the next 24 hours, the nation's refiners will be asked to bid on some 30 million barrels of oil President Obama is releasing from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Even before the first barrel has been refined, Republicans and Democrats are taking opposite sides on the issue. The Republicans call it bad policy to use the oil in a non-emergency and would rather see more permits issued to drill for oil. Democrats are hailing the move as a way to bring relief to the middle class.
Yes, call this a matter of oil and politics mixing.
"Of course this is a political decision – these guys are trying to save their jobs," says Phil Flynn, director of research at PFG Best, a commodities brokerage house in Chicago. "Every move is political when the economy is in trouble."
In a conference call with reporters, administration officials argued the disruption in Libya and other areas in the Middle East warranted the release, especially because those areas produce light sweet crude, which is used to produce gasoline. They said they had been talking to the other 27 members of the International Energy Agency – which is composed mainly of the world's developed countries – about this move for weeks. Other IEA members will release an additional 30 million barrels of light sweet crude from their stockpiles as well.
"They didn't do this willy-nilly," says Mr. Flynn. "They waited to see how the war would develop."
Administration officials maintained the action was not taken to lower gasoline prices and in their briefing with reporters refused to discuss or predict what action the move would have on prices. Later, Jay Carney, White House spokesman, said the timing of the action was related to a rise in demand during the summer driving season.
"What we are addressing is an impact caused by a supply disruption, and at this time it's necessary to do it because we're about to enter a season when demand is at its highest," said Mr. Carney.
However, some oil industry groups assailed the move, calling it a short-term fix at best. "It not only reduces our capacity to protect ourselves in case of a true emergency in the future, but also increases America's reliance on the politically volatile countries that currently provide most of our oil," says Barry Russell, the president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a lobbying group in Washington in a statement.
Some Republican leaders tried to walk a fine line – agreeing that it was a good idea for Americans to have lower prices at the pump but arguing it was a bad idea to do it by releasing oil from the SPR.
"Everyone wants to help the American people and lower prices at the pump – especially now, in tough economic times," said House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R) of Ohio in a statement. But, he added, "by tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the president is using a national security instrument to address his domestic political problems."
Democrats fired right back. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California took some credit for the action since Democratic members of the House had asked the President to release the SPR oil in March. And, she blamed speculators and special interests – which she claimed were protected by Republicans – for standing in the way of lower gas prices.
Each time the national reserve has been opened, the price of oil has dropped between 9 percent and 33 percent, said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who sent a letter to President Obama on March 3, asking him to release oil from the SPR if further disruptions took place.
On Thursday, just before the close, the price of oil was $3.83 a barrel lower on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price of gasoline on the futures market was sharply lower as well.
The US move is only the third time oil has been released from the SPR, which is now at a historically high level of 727 million barrels. The other times were during the Persian Gulf War and after Hurricane Katrina disrupted supplies in 2005.
Business reaction was divided. Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce's Energy Institute called the release "ill-advised and not the signal the markets need." Instead, she called on the administration to increase domestic production of oil.
However, the Air Transport Association, which represents the nation's major airlines, said the move would help its members. "Every $1 drop in the annual price of a barrel of oil translates to $415 million in reduced annual jet-fuel expenditures, so every little bit helps," said ATA President and CEO Nicholas Calio.


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HVAC training is offered in a variety of formats, including initial training and continuing education. Programs are available for the training needed to obtain certification or a degree in heating, ventilation and air conditioning or heating and refrigeration. This training will vary depending upon the type of degree or certification desired. This can include an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree, which will require from two to four years of education. The length of time for certification programs will differ depending on the program.
General or Specialized Training
HVAC training encompasses the fields of refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation systems and heating technology. The technologies differ, but due to the close relationship between the systems, many students choose a generalized education in this field while others specialize.
The specific areas of training available for heating and refrigeration will include building codes, refrigeration technology, heating design, ventilation, electronics technology and indoor air standards among others. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning field will include study in electronics, equipment construction, design theory, blueprint reading, installation and maintenance.
There are numerous opportunities for those who wish to enter this high-demand field. From universities to online courses and apprenticeships, those who are interested in a career can find the specific program that meets their needs. The demand for professionals in the field is growing and is expected to continue.
HVAC training includes:
- Knowledge of HVAC equipment and the methods in which they are used
- Environmental issues
- Handling chlorofluorocarbons and refrigerants in a safe and responsible manner
- Health issues on air quality
- Energy efficiency
- Safety issues
Even though apprenticeship is an option for learning the basics in this field, a school is the best option to obtain a degree or certification. This will allow the highest potential earnings. Trade schools will offer programs in HVAC training that will typically require from 6 months to 2 years of education. This will cover the following:
- Operation
- Design
- Construction
- Installation
- Maintenance
- Repair
A more inclusive program will also include training in areas such as blueprint reading, computer applications, electronics, applied physics, mechanical drawing and shop mathematics. Completion of training and passing the licensing exam will be required for certification.
Degrees in HVAC and HVAC/R
As stated, many choose a career in HVAC as well as refrigeration since the fields are so closely related. A bachelor's degree can include basic classes as well as advanced. The mechanics of each of the systems include courses in the same basics that are required by trade schools. Additionally they require courses including schematics, drawings, specifications, estimating, industry codes, regulations and Computer-Aided Drafting and Design.
The Bachelor's Degree
The bachelor's degree will provide students with the necessary skills for complying with environmental laws, HVAC/R building codes and regulations that include local, state and federal procedures. In addition, they will learn how to perform inspections, design, testing and maintain heating, cooling and refrigeration systems, estimate costs and read specifications and blueprints.
Skills learned in the bachelor's degree program will provide students with the knowledge to install systems as well as improve energy efficiency, repair defects or dangerous leaks and provide required climate control.
The Associate's Degree
An associate's degree in HVAC will include the basics of servicing the systems. Included are troubleshooting, American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards, psychometrics, thermal comfort, air distribution and indoor air quality. The student will learn how to install, service, find and eliminate problems associated with the control mechanisms including relays, pneumatics and HVAC Ethernet controls.
Online Certificate Programs
Online certificate programs are available. There are two – HVAC installation and repair or design of HVAC systems. The training to learn installation and repair and prepare for entry-level positions require 320 credit hours, which will include up to 16 courses. This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions. After receiving the online certificate, the North American Technician Excellence Certification Examination may be taken.
When choosing HVAC training, such as the certification program for design, this will require completion of 4 to 5 courses. In addition, experience in engineering as well as a bachelor's degree is required. The opportunities afforded by completing certification and degree programs include competitive salaries and many receive other benefits such as company cars, bonuses and reimbursement for further training.

subset: commoncrawl


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09/24/2009 | Force 12, C-3S — Adding the Fifth BandAs mentioned in a previous article, the Force C-3S is a very robust Yagi and its design is ideal for extending coverage up to five bands by application of linear resonator techniques. One of the attractive design features is that the Force 12 antenna uses
Learn More -
01/30/2009 | The Force 12 C-3S Yagi -- A 17 Meter ModificationUsing a linear resonator to add 17 meters to the CS-3S.
Learn More


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Not wanting to get in the car and drive aimlessly around Greensboro with my husband and saying things like, "What do YOU feel like having tonight?" or "what are YOU in the mood for?" "Do you want a salad?" "A sandwich?" "Pasta?" "Mexican?" "Feel like having a nice steak? " " Seafood? " "Should we do Chinese?", I decided that we were staying in and I pulled out my copy of The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair and decided that I was finally going to make her version of Coconut Shrimp. Do you do that too? Drive around town looking for inspiration to hit you as to what and where to have dinner? I can't tell you how many times we do this. I think it's because we have pretty much exhausted visiting all the restaurants in Greensboro. That is one of the drawbacks to living in a smaller town I guess.
Anyway, the Coconut Shrimp was absolutely wonderful. Jaden writes in her book that if there was one recipe that she wanted you to try first in her book that this would be it. It really was amazingly delicious.
Coconut Shrimp From Steamy Kitchen
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut. (I used sweetened and left out the sugar at the end of the recipe.)
1 Tbsp. High –heat cooking oil
1 pound raw tail-on shrimp, deveined, and patted really dry.
2 Tbsp. butter
4 green onions (scallions), cut into 2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp. finely minced garlic
3 Tbsp. cognac (I used Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum.)
Generous pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. sugar
In a wok over medium heat, toast the coconut till golden brown being careful not to burn it. . Remove from pan and set aside on a plate to cool. Wipe the wok and set over high heat. Add the oil and then added the shrimp to the wok keeping them in an even single layer. Fry for about 1 minute and then flip and fry for an additional minute till almost cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the wok and set aside.
Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, onions and garlic. Fry for about 30 seconds careful not to burn the garlic. Add the cognac (Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum), the salt, and the sugar if you are using unsweetened coconut. Add the shrimp back into the pan and stir till the sauce thickens a bit and the shrimp are nicely coated. Remove for the heat and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
I served it with Jasmine Rice.
I swear the secret ingredient that puts this over the top is the Captain Morgan's Demon Spiced Rum. If you don't want to invest in a big bottle , see if your liquor store sells the mini bottles. One mini bottle is exactly the 3 tablespoon measurement called for by the recipe.
Or go ahead and invest in the larger bottle. With the summertime coming up, it makes a great slushy drink that is handy to have in your freezer. My husband is actually the one who likes to make the Captain Morgan's Slushy Mix. I'll have to get him to whip up a batch soon and will post the recipe when he does (and after I find it.)
So, back to the Coconut Shrimp. It's delicious and the the Steamy Kitchen cookbook comes highly recommended. Have a nice weekend!


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Why Is It Important to Install Outdoor Lights in Your House?
Do you have a dream of building a perfect house that everyone loves? It is believed that everyone does numerous things to make their dream of building a unique and perfect house come true. But have you ever wondered that what is the very first thing that leaves an impression, either a positive one or a negative one, on the person who sees your house? Don't know? Relax, the answer is outdoor lights . Yes, you read it right. You need to understand that when someone crosses your house, he always notices the lights, and the outdoor wall light increases the appearance of the house to 10x times. According to the professional architects, the outdoor wall lights for house are in high demand because they indeed help in making your house stand out among all the other houses in the colony. Other than this astounding benefit, there are many more advantages associated with the outdoor wall light design , which indeed makes it important to install the perfect outdoor lights for house wall . Now, i


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SEEDLINGS 2010-09-16 Show # 91
Seedlings returns for season 3!!! Show 91. We are delighted to be back. Our show tonight is a catch up show! Catchup and see what we have been up to and what we have planned for the near future!
The Links:
We talk about Facebook Seedlings, the ACTEM Leader and Educator of the Year, TEDX Redmond-run by students! Wow, we fit a lot in our show.
The chat will be here as soon as it is posted tomorrow.
The CHAT:
19:21:05 alicebarr (SEEDlings) HI everyone!
19:22:30 bobsprankle hi all!
19:26:42 seedlings~cheryloakes WELCOME we think we are b ack
19:29:02 susanacanelo Hi
19:29:43 seedlings~cheryloakes Hello Susan!
19:29:45 bobsprankle hi susan!
19:29:48 seedlings~cheryloakes Do you hear sound?
19:30:02 susanacanelo no sound here
19:31:09 seedlings~cheryloakes ok
19:32:14 seedlings~cheryloakes hello to all
19:32:21 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Hi Dennis!
19:32:28 bobsprankle Hi Dennis!!!
19:32:30 seedlings~cheryloakes now we are streaming on real play
19:32:42 dennisar Hi Alice et al
19:32:44 susanacanelo OK, but no sound yet
19:32:55 seedlings~cheryloakes the stream will not launch in itunes please try real player
19:33:21 bobsprankle hello andrea!
19:33:30 seedlings~cheryloakes now can you hear in real player?
19:33:51 seedlings~cheryloakes please try real player
19:33:56 Andrea Hildreth Hey Bob, Yikes my password would not work!!
19:34:07 dennisar RealPlayer working
19:34:10 bobsprankle what password?
19:34:15 seedlings~cheryloakes thanks Dennis
19:34:23 dennisar Yes on RP
19:34:26 seedlings~cheryloakes You don't need a password to get to the chat
19:34:33 Andrea Hildreth now I don't have sound, ick
19:34:51 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Andrea Can you click on the REal Player icon
19:34:54 seedlings~cheryloakes please try real player for sound
19:34:54 dennisar Welcome
19:35:06 alicebarr (SEEDlings) EdTEchA and click on the Blue icon
19:35:46 seedlings~cheryloakes Dennis please let us know if you lose sound
19:35:56 seedlings~cheryloakes Hello Shelia!!
19:35:56 Sheila Hi all!
19:36:00 Sheila Can hear fine!
19:36:14 Sheila Seedlings is back! :)
19:36:19 seedlings~cheryloakes Shelia, itunes won't work on my mac
19:36:26 Sheila Working on mine.
19:36:40 dennisar Me!
19:36:40 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Andrea can you hear?
19:36:51 Sheila But I haven't upgraded to the new version. Working on an antique machine.
19:37:19 seedlings~cheryloakes good thing shelia
19:37:29 Sheila hmmm . . .
19:37:45 Sheila Hi PeggyG!
19:37:58 bobsprankle PEGGY!
19:38:02 PeggyG whew!! I've been excitedly waiting all week for this and then lost track of the time and got here late!
19:38:05 seedlings~cheryloakes Peggy, so glad to see you here.
19:38:11 PeggyG Hi everyone! Great to see all of you!
19:38:15 Andrea Hildreth No, no audio for me
19:38:26 alicebarr (SEEDlings) YOu're not late, we had a late start!
19:38:37 PeggyG I'm hearing you fine in iTunes
19:38:41 seedlings~cheryloakes Andrea, please try the blue real player button
19:38:56 seedlings~cheryloakes on the edtech talk page
19:39:03 PeggyG this virtual world really IS amazing!!
19:39:09 seedlings~cheryloakes isn't it!
19:39:15 Sheila Ustream!!! ;)
19:39:20 PeggyG oh yes :-) great idea!! video :-)
19:39:23 bobsprankle no way sheila!
19:39:25 bobsprankle :)
19:39:27 PeggyG you could wear paper bags :-)
19:39:36 seedlings~cheryloakes ok, we may not have enough umph in my mac
19:39:37 bobsprankle LOL, peggy
19:40:16 PeggyG all good people are busy people :-)
19:40:17 seedlings~cheryloakes andrea how is it working?
19:40:25 seedlings~cheryloakes yes Peggy, so true
19:40:45 PeggyG it is so hard to let them go!!
19:41:16 Andrea Hildreth I'm going to cry
19:41:29 seedlings~cheryloakes Andrea, try a different browser, do not give up
19:41:47 Andrea Hildreth Ok, I will try Safari, be right back
19:41:49 PeggyG Ben N Ben both need to get a trainee to work alongside them throughout the year
19:41:56 Sheila Eric L - NHSTE person sent this today - The education industry certainly doesn't leave the impassioned person idle.
19:42:04 seedlings~cheryloakes right, Peggy, they are mentors
19:42:31 PeggyG a "webcaster in training" :-)
19:42:40 seedlings~cheryloakes Shelia, what a great quote!
19:43:08 seedlings~cheryloakes Shelia, I wish I was free to go to the NHSTE meeting at the Mills Landing
19:44:04 PeggyG that was a perfect quote Sheila
19:44:31 seedlings~cheryloakes Andrea, is back! I am holding my breath, let us know
19:44:44 PeggyG good luck Andrea!
19:44:50 Sheila @Cheryl - We'll miss you. :( Will you be able to go to McAuliffe?
19:45:03 seedlings~cheryloakes Alice and I are presenting, so happy about that.
19:45:10 Sheila Great!
19:45:11 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Yea!!!
19:45:15 PeggyG Adora turned 12 last year and I think her birthday is Oct??
19:45:23 PeggyG she is incredible!!
19:45:26 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh, that is good to know.
19:45:26 alicebarr (SEEDlings) There is a TEd x Dirigo in Maine on 10.10.10
19:45:41 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh, Alice I love that date!
19:45:56 PeggyG I can't believe she is organizing the entire TEDx Redmond conference!!
19:46:02 seedlings~cheryloakes Student Tri-fecta!
19:46:06 alicebarr (SEEDlings) http:tedxdirigo.com
19:46:13 PeggyG That is going to be an amazing conference for the student voice!
19:46:26 alicebarr (SEEDlings) @Peggy Yes it will! How cool!
19:46:30 PeggyG yes! by students for students!!!
19:47:08 seedlings~cheryloakes Hello Susan,
19:47:15 andreahildreth Oh, my - I can hear, hear, hear, hear, here
19:47:16 susanacanelo herew again
19:47:17 seedlings~cheryloakes Andrea are you listening yet?
19:47:19 Sheila Wow! no parents.
19:47:20 seedlings~cheryloakes YEAH
19:47:21 PeggyG http://tedxredmond.com/
19:47:24 susanacanelo trying to listen
19:47:32 PeggyG hooray Andrea!!! Thanks for persevering!
19:47:47 seedlings~cheryloakes Susan please click on the stream, and the itunes or real player do you see those?
19:47:55 andreahildreth Thank you, Peggy, and All!
19:47:58 PeggyG what an exciting day!
19:48:06 susanacanelo I did it and lost this page
19:48:11 susanacanelo I'll try again
19:48:27 PeggyG http://tedxredmond.com/event-details/
19:48:28 seedlings~cheryloakes Susan, there is audio
19:48:38 susanacanelo Great !!! You're there !!!
19:49:05 susanacanelo I clicked on the first icon and it worked
19:49:13 PeggyG http://tedxredmond.com/live/ This is where to watch the stream live :-)
19:49:19 susanacanelo you sound perfect
19:50:22 Sheila Big change!
19:50:26 PeggyG that is such exciting news Cheryl!!!
19:50:33 PeggyG what a change :-)
19:50:34 andreahildreth Oh my
19:50:38 seedlings~cheryloakes It has been fun!
19:51:03 PeggyG now you can be part of Youth Voices with Paul Allison and Susan Ettenheim :-)
19:51:04 Sheila Who took your place?
19:51:06 andreahildreth Who says unemployment is high?! - ha ha (I don't mean to joke about unemployment
19:51:34 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh, Michael Richards is the new Collaborative Content Coach in Wells,
19:51:36 PeggyG I'm so glad to be getting caught up with all of you!!
19:51:48 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh Peggy, that might be a possiblity!
19:51:58 Sheila That's what I thought. Wanted to make sure. Nice!
19:52:30 seedlings~cheryloakes We are so lucky to have him, Bob and I love working with him.
19:52:35 dennisar Best week on Bailey Island ever!
19:52:47 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh, Dennis, that is great!
19:52:59 dennisar Sunny the whole week.
19:53:15 seedlings~cheryloakes Oh, yes! how were the temps when you were there?
19:53:25 dennisar 70-80
19:53:39 bobsprankle http://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Leadership-Strengthens-Professional-Practi...
19:53:41 seedlings~cheryloakes Perfect for an Island
19:54:04 PeggyG no new book for me :-)
19:54:07 bobsprankle Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice
19:54:35 Sheila Ahh, by Charlotte Danielson.
19:54:41 PeggyG so funny that the link was posted before she finished talking about it--big lag between chat and voice :-)
19:55:01 seedlings~cheryloakes Hello elawso, Eric?
19:55:11 elawso Ya, hey Cheryl, sorry I'm late
19:55:19 seedlings~cheryloakes glad you could make it
19:55:22 elawso me too
19:55:32 PeggyG yes principals always have to sit alone at the front of the room during meetings :-)
19:55:37 bobsprankle Hi Eric!
19:55:40 PeggyG I remember those days well!
19:55:42 elawso Hi Bob!
19:55:54 seedlings~cheryloakes sure you remember PeggyG :-)
19:55:54 Sheila @Alice - Sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing the title.
19:56:08 PeggyG what a great activity Alice!
19:56:38 Sheila No way - backchanneling!!!!
19:56:46 PeggyG what great questions!! did you blog about it Alice? where is the backchannel link :-)
19:56:47 seedlings~cheryloakes yes, shelia!
19:56:50 Sheila Nice! Did it go well?
19:56:52 andreahildreth sounds good because sometimes we hesitate to be leaders because we know might be singled-out
19:57:04 PeggyG woo hoo!!!
19:57:05 seedlings~cheryloakes absolutely, we all need to be risk takers.
19:57:16 PeggyG that's what happens when leaders model using technology
19:57:17 andreahildreth MORE Leaders!
19:57:18 Sheila True Andrea!
19:57:41 dennisar Improvingg Schools from Within by Roland Barth is about teacher leadership - http://xrl.in/6cyz
19:57:56 seedlings~cheryloakes thanks dennis, it helps when everyone shares!
19:58:10 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Dennis I saw you post those on Twitter today,mwant to read them Thanks for sharing
19:58:13 PeggyG Thanks Dennis! Roland Barth has been one of my gurus for a long time!
19:58:48 andreahildreth Sunshine has amazing power
19:58:56 PeggyG it was written in 1991 :-) and still valuable
19:58:58 dennisar I spent a year learning with Roland. Life changing!
19:59:00 alicebarr (SEEDlings) @andrea, it sure does
19:59:14 seedlings~cheryloakes Dennis and Peggy, thanks for sharing
19:59:40 andreahildreth I am soooo ready to Tip, I welcome the tipping point!
20:00:11 Sheila I can remember meeting you all at McAuliffe and talking about podcasting in the classroom. It was all new to me!
20:00:33 PeggyG Roland founded the Harvard Principals' Center
20:00:36 dennisar A bubble that's growing, I think.
20:00:36 andreahildreth Moving beyond the shiney-ness of the tools is crucial
20:00:45 Sheila I think there's more awareness of technology tools but not embracing just yet.
20:01:24 PeggyG I got to rub elbows with Roland Barth back when I lived in MA and worked on my doctorate and became a principal :-)
20:01:26 Sheila Still don't have the teachers in the next grade continuing student blogs. Just kind of stops .. .
20:01:57 dennisar Still lots of fear and hesitation out there over technology.
20:01:59 bobsprankle i hear you, sheila
20:02:18 PeggyG There is a tech leader in AZ who developed a fantastic walk-through tool for recognizing various stages of tech use in classrooms
20:02:44 susanacanelo Most of teachers resist changes , here in Argentina
20:02:55 alicebarr (SEEDlings) From the Teacher Leadership Book " as more teachers are engaged in the pursuit of improved practice the school itself becomes increasingly defined as an organization that learns.
20:03:07 andreahildreth Yes, it is hard to talk about learning being carried beyone the classroom, when students don't see it being carried into their new class level
20:03:39 Sheila Ok, need to do budget that's due tomorrow. Need to look away from teh chat window. Will be listening . . .
20:03:54 seedlings~cheryloakes ok shelia
20:04:09 PeggyG you can see the tool they created for their walkthroughs here (Laurie King): http://www.transformingteaching.com/Transforming_Teaching/Brutal_Facts.html
20:04:11 andreahildreth Huge shoes to fill
20:04:19 PeggyG that's very exciting about Mike!
20:04:23 elawso Our middle school in York required web pages from all teachers as well, but content was not monitored. It actually made things worse for some people. It does go to show that you have to be careful though.
20:04:30 seedlings~cheryloakes Thanks Susan, good to know it is allaround
20:04:44 dennisar David Warlick on tools vs purpose blog posts (Part 1 & 2) http://xrl.in/6cz1
20:05:11 seedlings~cheryloakes Thanks everyone, Michael is just the right fit, he is doing a super job! love working with he and Bob.
20:05:14 PeggyG those are great blog posts by David! really glad you shared the link here
20:06:56 andreahildreth Posterious??
20:07:14 PeggyG posterous
20:07:16 seedlings~cheryloakes posterous
20:07:22 alicebarr (SEEDlings) http://posterous.com
20:07:30 andreahildreth Thank you
20:07:32 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Cool eay blogging/posting
20:07:35 alicebarr (SEEDlings) easy
20:07:42 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Also firefox plug in
20:08:13 andreahildreth So, Yale is a good place, hmmm
20:08:52 dennisar Access Denied post from Angela Meiers presents a letter from a teacher on how teachers were told not to use Twitter. The reality in two many schools. http://xrl.in/6cz4
20:08:54 andreahildreth Bob, you are now a Yale-man
20:09:10 andreahildreth Name dropper!
20:09:14 PeggyG http://mcteach.posterous.com/ This is a great posterous person to follow-Karen McMillan (McTeach)
20:09:27 bobsprankle http://www.openculture.com/
20:09:54 PeggyG I love your excitment Bob!!!
20:09:54 andreahildreth We do love "open"!
20:09:58 PeggyG very contagious!
20:10:29 dennisar Bob, do you have a link to the course?
20:10:55 bobsprankle yes... one sec
20:11:20 bobsprankle http://xrl.in/6cz4
20:11:28 PeggyG I've been enjoying Learning Cafe :-)
20:11:33 bobsprankle woops... wrong copy... hang on
20:11:40 bobsprankle http://oyc.yale.edu/history/civil-war-and-reconstruction
20:11:43 bobsprankle there
20:11:47 bobsprankle in show notes as well
20:12:04 PeggyG I think it's the facebook posts I've been seeing
20:12:24 seedlings~cheryloakes thanks, here come the links
20:12:48 PeggyG http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Wells-ME/Learning-Cafe-Door-to...
20:12:57 alicebarr (SEEDlings) http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-teaching-strategies
20:12:58 PeggyG that's the facebook link for Learning Cafe
20:13:02 seedlings~cheryloakes http://learningcafe-doortothefuture.blogspot.com
20:13:06 seedlings~cheryloakes thanks Peggy
20:13:14 seedlings~cheryloakes Twitter name Doo2future
20:13:17 andreahildreth @ Peggy you live in a flat world!
20:13:34 seedlings~cheryloakes door2future
20:13:41 PeggyG we need to click on the links right now because once they go into the chat log archive they are no longer clickable
20:13:48 PeggyG I really do andrea :-)
20:13:49 bobsprankle http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-teaching-strategies
20:14:05 seedlings~cheryloakes oh, right peggy, but they are hyper links at bobsprankle.com
20:14:30 seedlings~cheryloakes ShoutOUT!!! time ACTEM technology Leader and Teacher of the Year
20:14:40 PeggyG that's good to know! that's very frustrating for our ETT shows
20:15:06 dennisar I really like being able to check off unread when I bookmark a link in Diigo that I want to visit later.
20:15:16 PeggyG drum roll!!
20:15:33 PeggyG yeah Sharon!!
20:15:37 Sheila Congrats!!!
20:15:49 seedlings~cheryloakes Leader of the Year Bob Asselin, Windham Raymond Schools, Runner up Leader of teh Year Sharon Betts
20:15:58 PeggyG I've gotten to work with Sharon recently on a couple of Moodle Meets! She's wonderful!
20:16:04 andreahildreth It's like the Academy Awards
20:16:21 seedlings~cheryloakes Teacher of the Year Karen Abbott, Cape Elizabeth Schools, and Richard Byrnes, Oak Hill Schools
20:16:27 Sheila He's going to our sci teachers conference!
20:16:29 PeggyG fantastic!! freetechnology4teachers :-) the most amazing site every!!
20:16:46 PeggyG I share his links every single week!!
20:16:49 seedlings~cheryloakes Yah, this is great!
20:16:49 susanacanelo Yes !!!
20:17:22 Sheila Nice! We like streaming!
20:17:22 PeggyG that would be fabulous is you could stream it!
20:17:26 seedlings~cheryloakes Long GEEK of the WEEK ACTEM members start getting your GEEK of the WEEK.
20:17:40 seedlings~cheryloakes You got it we will stream.
20:17:59 PeggyG fantastic!!
20:18:20 PeggyG what a powerful team!!!
20:18:30 dennisar Where is the conference?
20:18:34 Sheila Thinking of it . . .
20:18:38 seedlings~cheryloakes Yes, Vicki and Angela will be creating something UNIQUE
20:18:41 PeggyG Vicki Davis and Angela Maiers in the same presentation :-)
20:18:50 seedlings~cheryloakes isn't that cool!
20:18:51 andreahildreth I feel silly, but what does ACTEM stand for?
20:18:55 PeggyG tired dogs don't bark :-)
20:18:56 Sheila I was going to say . . . about dog time.
20:18:59 elawso Stop by Digital Storytelling at ACTEM too
20:19:06 seedlings~cheryloakes Association of Computer Teacher Educators of Maine
20:19:11 bobsprankle http://comments4kids.wikispaces.com/
20:19:21 seedlings~cheryloakes Yes, Eric will be presenting!! right?
20:19:26 elawso You got it
20:19:36 elawso I'm making a digital story about digital storytelling
20:19:42 andreahildreth You Maine-ers rock the world!
20:19:46 seedlings~cheryloakes excellent Eric, can't wait??
20:20:06 alicebarr (SEEDlings) http://preceden.com/
20:20:07 PeggyG what a wonderful idea! I'm going to share that in our next Mini-geekfest :-)
20:20:29 PeggyG never heard of that wiki before
20:20:44 susanacanelo I agree Andrea !!!
20:20:45 andreahildreth cross-commenting pollination
20:21:23 bobsprankle http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/
20:21:24 seedlings~cheryloakes http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com
20:21:46 PeggyG so there are things pre-loaded in the timeline? didn't quite understand that
20:21:54 bobsprankle hi jim!
20:22:01 dennisar Check out more class blogs looking for comments - Huzzah! > Blog Challenge Competition: http://huzzah.edublogs.org/
20:22:03 elawso Hi Jim
20:22:10 jimburke :)
20:23:05 seedlings~cheryloakes http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com
20:23:13 seedlings~cheryloakes Karen Janowski guest next week.
20:23:13 PeggyG Karen is an incredible presenter/expert on UDL!!
20:23:20 susanacanelo Reading for real readers, not just their teachers.
20:23:25 dennisar Karen is wonderful.
20:23:37 susanacanelo Writing, sorry
20:23:42 PeggyG Can't wait to hear her next week :-)
20:24:00 andreahildreth So nice to hear you all!!
20:24:24 PeggyG Seedlings on Facebook :-)
20:24:25 dennisar @jimburke - do you organize a Ning for English teachers?
20:24:32 andreahildreth How's it going on FB?
20:24:47 jimburke Wrong Jim Burke, dennisar. . I'm the evil one.
20:24:54 jimburke ;)
20:25:06 PeggyG http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=108176305898183&ref=ts SEEDLINGS on Facebook :-)
20:25:18 dennisar :) :) :)
20:25:54 andreahildreth @peggy, sorry, I meant - how is it to work on FB instead of Ning?
20:26:03 PeggyG I think Facebook was a great choice :-)
20:26:07 jimburke But I love his English Companion ning, dennisar. .
20:26:39 PeggyG I think I've been following Bit by Bit almost since the beginning :-)
20:26:42 andreahildreth You are purpose-ful
20:26:47 Sheila I'm just not a FB fan . . . old fogey I guess.
20:26:48 dennisar @jimburke I am working with English teacher this year through a series of workshops.
20:27:03 jimburke Ahhhh
20:27:13 PeggyG I like getting more frequent updates on FB and seeing comments and being able to add comments throughout the week
20:27:26 seedlings~cheryloakes Hello Jen,
20:27:29 andreahildreth I'm not a big FB fan myself, are there any options?
20:27:47 andreahildreth I love distraction!
20:27:49 alicebarr (SEEDlings) Hi Jen!
20:27:54 jen Sorry to be so late in arriving! I'll have to go to the archive
20:27:59 seedlings~cheryloakes yes andrea, we looked a gro.ups
20:28:04 seedlings~cheryloakes or grouply
20:28:26 PeggyG there are pros/cons to all social networks :-)
20:28:40 seedlings~cheryloakes yes, you are right, but we always go back to purpose.
20:28:43 PeggyG I'm really glad you chose FB
20:28:56 andreahildreth FB is easy, and popular
20:29:47 PeggyG it has been so great to hear your bubbly, cheery, enthusiastic voices tonight!!! Welcome back Seedlings!!! :-)
20:29:59 seedlings~cheryloakes Thanks and as you know the chat room makes our show.
20:30:13 dennisar Night Peggy.
20:30:15 PeggyG and things you post on twitter magically appear on FB
20:30:21 jimburke Here's a question: Does Facebook work better than Twitter in avoiding the echo chamber of association?
20:30:22 PeggyG good night everyone
20:30:24 Sheila So glad you're back!
20:30:27 bobsprankle Thanks so much to all!!!!
20:30:31 Sheila Great to hear you all!
20:30:50 seedlings~cheryloakes good night, see ya next week!
20:30:59 andreahildreth Very interested to hear your report when you get back - Bob
20:31:11 jimburke Night . . . Thank you.
20:31:37 bobsprankle good night all!
20:31:42 andreahildreth Bye Bye - I was really bugged - sorry
20:31:54 dennisar Thanks Seedlings! and everyonee :D
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text:
On Monday, March 31st, 2014 at 12:48PM, Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department Companies 3, 5 and the Ambulance Unit were dispatched to the westbound Northern State Parkway at Lakeville Road for a reported van into a tree. Ex-Chief Morris arrived on scene and reported a van lost control, drove in to the woods and he was unsure if the driver was trapped inside the vehicle. Deputy Chief Candan (8704) arrived on the scene a minute later and advised all incoming units that there was no entrapment, but one aided. Squad 8759 stabilized the vehicle and then began packaging the patient until the arrival of Ambulance 8768, who transported one patient to North Shore University Hospital Manhasset. All units were released from the scene within twenty minutes.
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You mustn't miss the 167-page opinion of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, awarding $36.795 million against the City of Half Moon Bay for its taking of the plaintiffs' land. Yamagiwa v. City of Half Moon Bay, 2007 WL 4276385 (N.D. Cal.), Nov. 28, 2007. The city first flooded the subject 24.7-acre parcel, and then pointed to its "wetland" condition as the basis for denying permission to develop it.
The court was not amused by the city's conduct in court either. The owners originally filed their case in state court as required by the Williamson County case, but the city removed it to federal court which, it said, had jurisdiction. Then, after two years of litigation that included 47 depositions and about a two-week trial, and cost millions to prosecute, the city submitted a post-trial brief saying "never mind" and asking the court to remand the case back to the state court, on the grounds that the federal court, according to the city's born-again vision, lacked jurisdiction. Nothing doing, said the court, quoting from another opinion: "We decline to let [defendant] take its chips off the table because it didn't like the dealer's hand." We highly recommend that in spite of its length you read this opinion in its entirety, particularly the part that starts at p. 155 and deals with the Williamson County ripeness problem — a first rate job of judicial analysis.
This caper is reminiscent of the incredible behavior of the City of Monterey in the Del Monte Dunes case, where after the city requested five successive development proposals that involved 19 plot plans, it refused to allow any development on Del Monte's land supposedly because it was suitable as a habitat of the Blue Butterfly. Of course, no such butterflies were sighted on the subject property, but hey man, the city thought that if a Blue Butterfly were to wander onto that land, it might like it there. This one is worse because of the city's evident attempt to misuse the federal court as an instrument of oppression of the plaintiff-owners.
We will keep an eye on this one, if nothing else because the City of Half Moon Bay has an annual budget of only $10 million, so the verdict comes to $5000 per city inhabitant. Still, it's a case of poetic justice, if ever there was one.
In the interest of full disclosure we note that the plaintiffs were represented by Ed Burg of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, a law firm to which your editor is of counsel.


text:
We're not quite sure what to make of this beast, but it's all over the blogosphere and our guess is as good as any for now. It looks like a weird hybrid of a Helio Ocean, Palm Centro/Treo, Sony Mylo and touch of Open Moko. Judging by the unusual number of smudges on the screen, common sense points to a touchscreen / QWERTY combo. Your standard five-way toggle and smart buttons are there but when the T-swivel phone opens up, you see a mini-mouse pad and left and right mouse buttons. The keys look like the firm, bubbly keys we'd see on the Palm Centro or Treo Pro, which leads our buddy Dieter Bohn of TreoCentral to think that this might be the new "Roteo" that's been in the rumor mill. Regardless of what this phone turns out to be, we're afraid it's going to be slapped onto our "do not want" list unless the final version gets some major tweaks.
[Via TreoCentral]


text: Hi everyone, I'm a graduate student at Florida State University and I'm looking to buy a basic, level 2 gigabit switch that supports jumbo frames. I only need a few ports on this switch: no more than 16, really. From the searching on the internet I've been doing, I'm having trouble understanding exactly how to eliminate the switches from different companies. There are tons of them, and many of them have support for other levels, ( 3 through 7), which I don't really need. My price range is a maximum of $500. Anyone have any suggestions? Your help is much appreciated. /* ----------------------------------------------- */ Michael R. Hines Graduate Student, Dept. Computer Science Florida State University Jusqu'à ce que le futur vienne........ /* ----------------------------------------------- */


text:
"Brad Yates is a master
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I totally endorse his work."
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EFT I've ever seen. It's simple,
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Magnificent Tappers!
Log in here
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When will you allow yourself:
· More fulfilling relationships
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Life operates on t
basis of the law of cause and effect. The items
above are all effects — you are the cause. To change the effect, you
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You may have attended tons of seminars, read a million self-help
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We are told that we live among "acres of diamonds" - and it's true.
You have an abundance of wealth and ability at your fingertips.
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My job is to help you let them go.
The great artist Michelangelo stated that his figures - like "
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I think human beings are like grand pianos - incredible creations
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that we don't have the talent (the looks, the money, the time, the
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What if Mozart had hidden his talent? (Or Bowie, or, moving from
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Imagine a world where people felt free to share their grandest music
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Consider what would be possible.
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A County Takes Down Prescription 'Pill Mills'
Ohio's pain management clinics come under tough new regulations Sunday. Many of the clinics are blamed for prescription drug abuse in a state where the leading cause of accidental death is unintentional drug overdose. In the south of the state, Scioto County is leading the fight against the so-called "pill mills."
Anybody you talk to around the city of Portsmouth can tell you about a family member, a teammate or a colleague who's been in trouble with painkillers.
"I have an employee that will go through detox next week," motel manager Sharon Smith says. "She needs to get completely off of it again, or she'll ... go back to prison."
Parked outside a local pain clinic, nurse Lisa Roberts of the Portsmouth City Health Department has a front-row seat to the problem.
"We sometimes see plates here from Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania — we've seen Maine people come from all over to get pills here," she says.
She points out a couple going into the clinic.
"There's some chronic pain patients now," she says. "So they go in, and they immediately pay $200 cash — that covers the office visit, and then they leave with a prescription."
A prescription written by a pain clinic doctor usually won't be filled in Scioto County where pharmacists often recognize where the scripts come from. Local drug stores can identify "pill mill" scripts by the quantity of pills and potentially deadly combinations. Now, people drive off in search of a willing pharmacist.
Sometimes, drugstores will call Portsmouth "and say, 'Who is this doctor, and what in the heck is he doing writing this kind of stuff,'" Roberts says.
A Growing List Of Victims
If you count up every pain pill that was legally prescribed within Scioto County last year, you get 9.7 million tablets and capsules. That's more than 120 for every person and child in the county. The county had 22 overdose deaths last year.
"The victims are frequently found bent over in a sitting position but bent completely over, like completely folded in two, because their muscles have just been relaxed and they stop breathing," Roberts says.
In the display window of an empty downtown store, there's a memorial to victims of prescription drug overdoses with photos donated by their families. Roberts picks out one picture.
"This is Ryan Dickerson," she says. "He was probably 19 or so, real young. He had been given some Oxycontin from a knee surgery that he had, and he was trying to hold onto his job. He didn't want to miss any days, and he ended up becoming addicted. And he overdosed and he died."
Portsmouth police blame the clinics for a rise in crime, too – like the body of a young man discovered in a manhole a couple of weeks ago.
Finally, A Victory
Portsmouth has been trying to get rid of its numerous pain clinics for more than a decade. Organizing through Facebook, Roberts formed the Prescription Drug Action Team, which campaigned for the stronger regulations passed earlier this year.
Barbara Howard worked with Roberts on the team. Her daughter Leslie died of an overdose in 2009. She says Leslie got help buying her drugs from a "sponsor," who profited off the transactions with the clinics.
"The lady took my daughter to a pain clinic," Howard says. "No one here in the area would fill the prescription. She was taken to Columbus, Ohio, to get the prescription filled, and she died that night."
Howard says the new state law is justice for her daughter. Ohio lawmakers passed it with no opposition, and Gov. John Kasich signed it into law immediately; he'd been to Scioto County.
Starting Sunday, only a doctor can own and operate a pain management clinic. Also, according to the new rules, convicted felons may not work at the clinics. Anticipating the changes, all the clinics have shut down — at least for now.


text:
CONAHEC Member Institution
Formed in 1920, AACC is a national voice for community colleges, which marked their 100th year of service to the nation in 2001. AACC is leading the celebration of the colleges as they provide learning opportunities to their students and communities and the nation.AACC will be a bold leader in creating a nation where all have access to the learning needed to participate productively in their communities and in the economy. Through AACC's leadership, community colleges will increasingly be recognized as the gateway to the American dream - the learning resource needed to sustain America's economic viability and productivity. AACC will pursue this vision by:
- expanding its role as the nation's primary voice for guaranteeing access to and accountability for higher learning;
- influencing federal policy decisions relevant to higher learning as well as media coverage that promotes awareness and understanding of the critical factors of student success;
- promoting community colleges as the premier workforce development providers in America and influencing government and corporate funding policies to support the colleges in this key role;
- fostering partnerships with P-12 schools, other higher education institutions, minority-serving institutions, corporate learning centers and businesses that will ensure that all students have optimal learning opportunities to meet their goals efficiently and effectively;
- developing community college leaders at all levels who understand and share a deep commitment to the community college mission and core values;
- forging community development and renewal by working to ensure access to lifelong learning to benefit individuals, communities and society in general;
- providing the best and most accessible information to the media, faculty, researchers, policymakers and the public regarding the community college mission, student learning, trends shaping education, emerging jobs and exemplary programs;
- supporting community colleges to prepare learners to be effective in a global society;
- empowering community colleges to grow as a global force for learning by disseminating information and promoting international partnerships between American community colleges and countries seeking collaborative opportunities;
- creating a deeper and broader sense of connectedness among community colleges through technology; and
- promoting public recognition of the value of community colleges and the opportunities they provide.
The American Association of Community Colleges is the primary advocacy organization for the nation's community colleges. The Association represents more than 1,100 associate degree-granting institutions and some 10 million students.
Key Personnel
Name/Nom/Nombre | Institutional Role | Department | Pays | |
Allen, Michael | email@example.com | Director of International Programs | International Programs & Services | United States |
Bumphus, Walter | firstname.lastname@example.com... | President/Rector | Office of the President | United States |
Wheeler, Wayne | firstname.lastname@example.com... | Primary Contact | Global Initiatives and Outreach | United States |


text:
Following today's earlier post on data gloves, HandUSB is a glove interface designed to relay fingertip touch data to a computer via USB. Although the gloves themselves are not extremely interesting or useful for your average hacker, the project has some good documentation. The electronics are all open source and he has links to the EAGLE files and the AVR Libc code. You can also find a demo program written for DOS. This project uses AVR-USB by Objective Development so if you are looking to move on from your USB-serial chips, this project would be a good resource to study.
[via YourlTronics]


text:
At the heart of the Browne Report and the government's higher education policy is a simple notion allegedly grounded in economics: that the introduction of market forces into the higher education sector will simultaneously drive up standards and drive down prices. The confidence displayed by ministers in predicting these effects would be more reassuring if it were not at odds with the evidence that precisely the opposite is happening. The list of universities committed to charging something near the £9000 upper limit of fees is steadily lengthening, contrary to what Vince Cable has repeatedly told them is in their rational economic interest. And with regard to standards, the American company that owns BPP University College – which David Willetts granted university status only last year – recently lost its appeal in the US Supreme Court after being found guilty of defrauding its shareholders and is under investigation by the US Higher Learning Commission for deceiving students about the career value of its degrees. Since one of the justifications for funding university teaching primarily through tuition fees was to open up the English university sector to the beneficial influence of private providers, this news throws further doubt on the wisdom of government policy.
Whenever university standards are talked about, the basis for comparison is taken to be the annual THE-QS World University Rankings.* Every year since 2004, these tables have appeared under some variation of the headline 'US Universities Dominate World Rankings.' And every year the picture has been more or less the same: on average, US universities have occupied 13 of the top 20 positions, while British universities have occupied four. US universities outnumber their UK rivals further down the league table too, and no other country remotely challenges America's effortless supremacy.
It isn't difficult to see how these tables have helped push government policy towards its current infatuation with markets. All but one of the 13 American universities which have routinely topped the tables are private institutions, and those inclined to neoliberal ways of thinking are unlikely to see this as a coincidence. If the global supremacy of US private universities is the product of their exposure to competitive markets, then the sooner such markets are introduced into UK, the sooner we can begin to watch their magic 'driving up standards'. The government's zeal to marketise UK higher education, to emulate American universities and to invite US corporations to set up private universities in Britain are all of a piece. Because the dominance by US universities of the upper end of these tables is thought to be so absolute, their role in informing the political consensus underlying government policy is rarely discussed.
Yet all those journalists and politicians who have leaped so nimbly from league tables to university policy have apparently overlooked the fact that the US is larger than the UK: its population of 311 million is five times the UK population of 62 million. Already, the American three-to-one lead in the World University Rankings looks far less impressive. In fact, over the past seven years, the UK has had more top 20 universities per head of population (one per 15.5 million) than the US (one per 23.9 million). And since the UK institutions in the top 20 are on average slightly larger (20,500 students) than the US ones (17,300 students), almost twice the proportion of the UK population has been studying at top 20 universities (1 in 756, compared with 1 in 1383). In economic terms, the two countries differ by an even larger margin: US GDP (at $14.658 trillion) is 6.5 times larger than UK GDP (at $2.247 trillion). For the past seven years, the UK has been maintaining fully twice as many top 20 universities as the US for each unit of financial resource.
No less important, Americans spend a far higher proportion of their national wealth on higher education than the British. According to the OECD, the UK spends 1.3 per cent of GDP on tertiary education, precisely the EU average. The US, on the other hand, spends 3.1 per cent, far more than any other country in the world. So America not only has 6.5 times the UK's financial resources, it also spends 2.4 times as much of those resources on tertiary education. That adds up to more than 15 times as much investment in higher education in the US than in the UK. And yet, according to these world rankings, that 15-fold investment nets barely a three-fold return in educational excellence. The UK has somehow managed to maintain top-ranked universities for only about a fifth of the US price.
The top ten or 20 places typically grab all the attention. What happens when we consider all 200? No summary of the mean rankings of the top 200 universities over the past seven years is available, but we can examine the data in the THE rankings for 2010-11. In the top 50 places, US outnumber UK universities by five to one. In the second tier (places 51-100), American universities begin to lose their edge, and the proportion drops to three to one. In the bottom half of the table (places 101-200), the number of places held by both countries is much reduced, as universities from other countries crowd onto the table, but the significant point is that here the US and UK universities are virtually at level pegging. UK universities are distributed fairly uniformly throughout the table, which suggests that there is a smooth and gradual transition from the top tier of universities to the next level down, and so on. The US university system, by contrast, appears to concentrate a hugely disproportionate share of resources in a small group of very wealthy and exclusive private institutions.
If anyone thinks the lower reaches of the table are inconsequential because only the top 100 universities in the world really matter, they should think again. According to Unesco, there are 5758 recognised higher education institutions in the US, about 1600 of which grant four-year degrees. So the 72 US universities in the top 200 represent fewer than 5 per cent of those offering four-year degrees. The US university system overall appears to offer poor value for money: none of the funding, public or private, pouring into 95 per cent of the higher education institutions in America makes any impact at all on the world university rankings. By comparison, the 29 UK universities in the top 200 represent nearly a fifth of the 165 listed by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. So British universities appear, on average, to be almost four times better at breaking into the global top 200 than their American counterparts.
An even less flattering picture emerges if a few necessary corrections are factored into the data. If we first adjust the figures by head of population, the UK is a match for the best of the US from the start: according to the most recent data, the two countries have virtually the same number of top 50 universities per capita. But as we move from the top 50 to the bottom 50, the UK opens up a commanding lead: there are four times as many universities per capita in the bottom half of the table (101-200) in the UK as in the US. If we further adjust for the ratio of GDP between the two countries (6.5 to 1), the data show that the UK makes better use of its smaller per capita resources in every tier of the rankings. And if we factor in that the US invests more than twice as much of its GDP in higher education as the UK, even in the top tier, where the strength of the American system is concentrated, UK investment in higher education seems to be yielding almost three times the return. In the bottom half of the table, British universities appear to be offering a staggering 12 times better value for money.
The data which appear, at first glance, to demonstrate the great strength of the US university system are revealed, on even the most rudimentary analysis, to demonstrate nothing of the kind. Measure for measure, US universities are manifestly not the 'best of the best'. If value for money is the most important consideration, especially in an age of austerity, the American model might well be the last one that Britain should be emulating.
This analysis has serious implications for government policy. There is no evidence here that private sector competition drives up academic standards, but there is clear evidence that market competition drives up prices, since academic excellence apparently costs much more in the US than the UK. Why is this? It isn't in fact difficult to see why the introduction of market pricing into a small cohort of elite universities will drive prices up, not down. Wherever a small and strictly limited supply of a highly desirable commodity – such as places at Harvard – is introduced into a genuinely open market, the wealthiest cohort in society will drive its price up to levels only they can afford. This is essentially what has been happening at the upper levels of the US university league since the income gap began to open up in the 1980s. For several decades, tuition fees have been rising at double, triple and even quadruple the rate of cost-of-living inflation, first at the most exclusive universities, and then throughout the private sector, so that there are now more than a hundred private colleges and universities in the US charging students at least $50,000 annually for fees, room and board.
One might think this a peculiarly American phenomenon – an offshoot, perhaps, of some particularly 'advanced' form of consumer culture – but in fact the logic at work becomes even clearer in the context of the smaller education market in England. The introduction of competition drives down prices only in markets for commodities that can be readily produced. If a firm is producing things inefficiently, or skimming off too much profit, it can be undercut by more efficient methods of production or leaner business models. But there are some things which cannot be readily produced, and ancient universities are an excellent example. Oxford and Cambridge have a 600-year head start on their English rivals. Many of the advantages they enjoy are the product of their long histories: their architectural settings, their libraries and archives; their unique systems of tutorial teaching, collegiate organisation and self-government; and the academic prestige accumulated by two dozen generations of scholars, philosophers, scientists, poets and prime ministers. Their competitors cannot produce these things at any price, much less one that undercuts theirs. And because the 'student experience' they offer is one that many find uniquely attractive, they could, if freed from the constraints of government legislation, charge as high a price for this experience as the market would bear, without the risk of being undercut by anyone but each other.
So, imagine what would happen in England if the fee cap were removed, a real market introduced, and universities allowed to pursue their own economic interests without regard for anything else – i.e. act even more 'rationally' than Vince Cable thinks they should. Oxford and Cambridge would jack up their tuition fees dramatically, first of all to recoup the roughly £8000 of their own resources they currently invest in educating each student every year on top of what they receive through fees, government grants and research income. Rich parents would relish the opportunity to drive fees even higher, beyond the reach of less wealthy parents of more able children. The hyperinflation in Oxbridge fees would provide headroom for every other university in England to start increasing its fees; some, with lucrative professional degrees to offer, would raise them to levels above those of an Oxbridge arts degree. Further down the English academic league table, the rate of fee inflation would gradually fall until, somewhere near the bottom, universities would be competing on price within the £6000-£9000 band, as ministers intended all along.
Market forces are the reason American private universities have become so expensive, but why does all the extra money pouring into US universities generate such a poor return in the rankings? Evidently, a large fraction of this funding is being invested in something other than academic excellence. This haemorrhage of funds has not gone unnoticed by American university leaders, who have traced the source of the leak to another aspect of market-driven academic culture which the government plans to start importing from America: the 'student experience'.
Jonathan Cole, former provost and dean of faculties at Columbia, wrote in the Huffington Post last year that in addition to fee inflation, a major contributor to the increased cost of higher education in America stems from the
perverse assumption that students are 'customers', that the customer is always right, and what he or she demands must be purchased. Money is well-spent on psychological counselling, but the number of offices that focus on student activities, athletics and athletic facilities, summer job placement and outsourced dining services, to say nothing of the dormitory rooms and suites that only the Four Seasons can match, leads to an expansion of administrators and increased cost of administration.
If Cole is correct, then the marketisation of the higher education sector stimulates not one but two separate developments which run directly counter to government expectations. On the one hand, genuine market competition between elite universities drives up average tuition fees across the sector. On the other, the marketing of the 'student experience' places an ever increasing portion of university budgets in the hands of student 'customers'. The first of these mechanisms drives up price, while the second drives down academic value for money, since the inflated fees are squandered on luxuries. To judge from the American experience, comfortable accommodation, a rich programme of social events and state of the art athletic facilities are what most 18-year-olds want when they choose their 'student experience'; and when student choice becomes the engine for driving up standards, these are the standards that are going to be driven up.
What's worse is that British government ministers, on visiting a beautifully manicured US campus for the first time, respond in the same way as American teenagers. Familiar as they are with the shoddy physical condition of even the best English universities, they cannot help but be impressed by the quality of the facilities offered by rich American institutions. What they forget is that the dilapidated state of so many English university buildings is the product, not of a lack of academic competitiveness, but of deliberate government policy these last 20 years. By holding university income firmly down, raising student numbers and prioritising research through the RAE, they have attempted to push up academic performance at the expense of teaching and the maintenance of existing buildings, not to mention the construction of new ones.
Might markets have the beneficial side effect of driving up academic standards? Much depends on the measure you use; but the academic standard that markets are most likely to drive up is the one that matters most to high-fee-paying students: marks. Way back when, the average mark in the US was supposed to be a C. Nowadays, the more expensive the university, the higher the average mark, with the average in private universities now an A-minus. Why is grade inflation so closely correlated with fee inflation? The reason can easily be guessed. If you've attended one of America's hundred costliest colleges or universities and paid upwards of $200,000 for a four-year degree, then it had better be a good one. Ignore this demand and an institution's levels of 'student satisfaction' will plummet, as will the number of wealthy people willing to invest in its degrees. Fortunately, these private universities are not required to employ external examiners to even up standards across the system, so there is nothing to prevent them meeting the student-led demand for higher and higher grades. Thus the net effect of introducing market forces driven by student demand is, yet again, precisely the opposite of what ministers intend: the value of academic credentials is debased across the system.
But might free-market competition drive up levels of actual academic achievement as well as grades? Not according to the World University Rankings. The only place in the world where private universities compete with one another and with a far larger group of public universities is the United States, and the US data clearly indicate that this competition drives the quality of public universities down, not up. Consider the top 20 institutions in the aggregated THE-QS rankings for the past seven years. Moving down the table, past all those famous Ivy League names, one finally comes to a solitary American public university, the University of Michigan, in 20th place, just below the best public universities in Canada (joint 17th) and Switzerland (19th), and below the Australian National University in Canberra (14th). Canada's population and economy are about a tenth the size of its neighbour's, so the data suggest that the Canadian public university sector narrowly outperforms the American on a tenth of the assets. Switzerland manages to pip the US despite having a GDP 1/30th and a population 1/40th the size. And the Australians somehow managed to beat the American public university sector in this seven-year period with only 1/14th the people and 1/12th the money. As for the UK, with only a single small private university until recently, it contributes all four of the best public universities: their mean rank positions are second, joint third, seventh and 12th. If we factor back in the five-fold difference in population, UK citizens have 20 times more opportunity to study at first-class public universities than their American cousins.
Another interesting pattern emerges if we examine the geographical distribution across the United States of the top 100 universities in the THE rankings for 2010-11. The wealthiest private universities at the top of the league table – including the whole of the Ivy League – are concentrated on the northeastern seaboard of the United States, from Massachusetts in the north to North Carolina in the south. If proximity to the energising influence of private universities drives up standards, as Willetts seemed to imply, we would expect to find the great public universities clustered in this same area. But the opposite is the case: the more distance between them and the rich private universities, it seems, the higher their level of achievement. Overwhelmingly, the best-represented state university system is California's, with two universities in the top ten and a total of nine in the top 100. This seems impressive, but we should bear in mind that California's GDP is almost as large as that of the UK, which boasts 14 public universities in the top 100. A striking contrast is provided by New York, California's economic and intellectual counterweight. One might imagine it would benefit from market competition with Columbia, Cornell, NYU and the Ivy League institutions to its north and south, yet although New York State's economy is fully half the size of the UK's, its top-ranked public university – the State University of New York at Stony Brook – slots in at a humble 78 in the global rankings. Of the 14 other US public universities in the top 100, ten are located in southern, midwestern and western states that don't have large private universities: Michigan (joint 15th), Washington (23rd), Georgia Tech (27th), Wisconsin-Madison (joint 43rd), Minnesota (52nd), Ohio State (66th), Colorado-Boulder (67th), Virginia (72nd), Utah (joint 83rd) and Arizona (joint 95th).
Thus, once again, the empirical data directly contradict current government assumptions. The great private universities in the US do not provide the competition needed to energise lethargic public institutions. Instead, they hoover up a hugely disproportionate share of the resources in the system, thereby impoverishing their neighbours. They have the money to build the best labs, stock the best libraries and buy up the most high-profile professors. Their facilities attract the best and the wealthiest students, cornering the market in social as well as intellectual prestige. They drain the area around them of all the resources needed to sustain good public universities. Most of the public universities that break into the top 100 operate as far away from the Ivy League as America's vast landmass allows. Outside the top 100, American performance falls sharply to a low level.
The natural interpretation of the World University Rankings flies in the face of the key assumption underpinning current British government policy. Market competition in the United States has driven up tuition fees in the private universities and thereby sucked out the resources needed to sustain good public universities, while diverting a hugely wasteful share of these resources from academic priorities to improving the 'student experience' and debasing academic credentials through market-driven grade inflation. The partially privatised university system in the United States is not 'the best of the best'. In terms of value for money, the British system is far better, and probably the best in the world. Willetts should follow the example of the health secretary, take advantage of a 'natural break in the legislative process', and go back to the drawing board.
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Ash and friends are lost in a forest when they are attacked by a Skarmory that kidnaps May. It drops May on the other side of a tall fence, and several hooded men prevent Ash, Brock, and Max from pursuing.
The Skarmory drops May on the ground, where she saves a Bulbasaur from falling off a cliff. A group of Grass-type Pokémon angrily attack May, but she drives them back with Torchic's Ember attack.
The hooded men explain to the guys that the Grass-type Pokémon will attack any human that trespasses, because people damaged the forest trying to catch Grass-type Pokémon. The guys decide saving May is more important, and Ash manages to get over the fence.
A group of Grass-types corner May, and Ash swoops in and has Pikachu clear a path. The two kids run for it, but get cornered again. A Venusaur arrives and orders the other Pokémon to back off, accompanied by the Bulbasaur that May helped.
May begins to befriend the Bulbasaur, but Team Rocket arrives, trying to catch Grass-types with their robot. May gets caught inside the robot as well, and helps all the Pokémon break free. The Venusaur uses Solarbeam to blast the robot away.
Reunited in the end, the kids get ready to depart the forest, with one new addition—the Bulbasaur decides to join May on her journey.


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"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H.L. Mencken
Keep the Home Fires Burning
Column by Paul Hein.
Exclusive to STR
As the economy collapses, and civilization disintegrates, increasing numbers of people are becoming aware of the corrupt, vicious, and arrogantly stupid nature of government—especially the federal government--and its role in the dissolution.
But wait! Do we really want to believe that government is the problem? Keep in mind that there is no such physical entity as government. It is a label, nothing more, and a diversion. What we call "government," or the "state," is people: actual living, breathing human beings, working for an organization which they idealize as "government," because it sounds so much more important and respectable than "gang."
Whether it is the gang in Washington, or the local gang, there is always an impressive "constitution" that purports to be its charter, its reason for existing. For example, the federal gang justifies its existence by claiming to protect your right to life, liberty, and property. In actual operation, however, the gang members present an imminent threat to your life, liberty, and property greater than that presented by any other gang. In recent years, however, I've come to realize that local gangs are no better, despite their being closer to the people, and, therefore, presumably more responsive to their needs and demands.
I accept that there must be a certain amount of rhetorical boilerplate in constitutions, so I am not surprised to read, in my state's constitution, the following: "That all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole." The next section is a little more specific: "…all persons have a natural right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry--to give security to these things is the principal office of government, and that when government does not confer this security, it fails in its chief design." To cap the climax: "…the people of this state have the inherent, sole, and exclusive right to…alter and abolish their constitution and form of government whenever they may deem it necessary to their safety and happiness…." Wow!
I take it as virtual proof that nobody reads the constitution, including those that swear to adhere to it, that such language remains. How can members of the gang raise their hands and swear allegiance to a document that declares them a failure if they fail to secure a person's right to the "gains of their own industry," while simultaneously claiming a right to those gains, achieved as income, or property? Has any member of a government gang ever provided a victim with substantial evidence that the gang has a greater claim upon the victim's property than the victim himself? Certainly, if you knocked on someone's door and said you had come to collect some money or property because you were, by your own decree, entitled to it, you would risk exposing yourself as a madman. If you persisted, you would be arrested and taken away. But when you make such a claim as a member of a "government" gang, you fully expect to be taken seriously, and, perhaps even more remarkably, you are!
The reason, of course, is "the law"! Oh, so sacrosanct and precious! It is by virtue of the "law" that the gang takes the property of others, and considers itself justified in doing so. But the "law" is just the demands of the gang put down on paper, along with some feel-good sentiments as we've quoted above, about securing the rights of the people, providing for the public good, etc. In plain fact, the reason the gang can "lawfully" take what is yours is--because they say they can. If you doubt it, just ask them. They all agreed, according to a process of their own devising, that it was utterly right and proper for them to claim as theirs what you (foolishly!) thought was yours!
But they say they can only take what is yours for a limited purpose: "Taxes may be levied and collected for public purposes only…." (That's in the state Constitution.) We aren't given a definition of "public purposes," but it's safe to assume that such purposes must be included in the state's spending. Yet year after year, my state has, according to its own Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) revenues that exceed expenditures by approximately $2 billion. I'm not a businessman, but isn't an excess of revenue over expenditure called PROFIT? Is the Revenue Department (which, incidentally, is listed in Dun & Bradstreet) in business to make a profit? It's interesting, by the way, that what the state takes in is "revenue." What you take in is "income," which, though never defined, is considered—mistakenly--by the state to be taxable. Well, you're not a member of the gang.
If you bought a refrigerator from Acme Corp., and it broke down after a few months, and you bought another one from Acme Corp. and it broke down after a few months, and you bought still another one from Acme Corp. which also broke down after a few months, I am pretty sure you'd think twice about buying any more refrigerators from Acme Corp. Now the gang that runs my state--and I'm pretty sure your state is similar--admits, in plain English, that it fails in its primary purpose if it does not secure for you the gains of your own industry. It fails year after year, decade after decade. Moreover, the same gang assures you, again in plain language, of your right to replace them when you deem it necessary for your safety and happiness!
So the obvious question is: Just how much allegiance do you owe to an organization that, by its own admission, repeatedly fails to accomplish its purpose? Why should you pay it any attention at all? Remember, by its own declaration, sworn to by all its members, you have the right to replace it!
So, when? All in favor of abolishing their form of government--gang rule--raise their hands. You have nothing to lose but your chains, padded and comfortable though they may be.
"I take it as virtual proof that nobody reads the constitution, including those that swear to adhere to it, that such language remains."
Perhaps. My reading of such prose is that it helps maintain the fantasy that "the peepul" run the government. As long as no one important (e.g. a judge employed by that same government) pays any attention to it, there is no harm keeping it there and lots of potential benefits for the rulers.
Quite some irony here: the very language proclaiming the right to dump the old government for a newer one, is that which keeps people sleeping and bought into the old one.
"In recent years, however, I've come to realize that local gangs are no better, despite their being closer to the people..."
This reads like someone from a high population state. In Wyoming, the legislators are guys you can meet down at the local cafe getting coffee. So I think their proximity to the people is such that it actually does restrain them a little. But having only 30 working days (average) per session probably helps even more.
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Paul Hein,
(1) "What we call 'government,' or the 'state,' is people: actual living, breathing human beings"
If so, then we may call it a set, in a mathematician's sense of the word set, for these human beings are not like the cells of an organism that is itself a living being. Instead, this set is a mental object. Even though the members of this set are living psychophysical beings, the set itself is without physical reality. The set is not alive, and it does no deed, either good or evil.
Furthermore, if you and I conceived of a set of the same 99 individuals, we might call them by the same name, "government", but we would have in fact formed two separate sets, just as we have two minds among us. There would be quite literally two governments comprised of the same 99 individuals. That there are two governments, each with the same 99 persons, would hold unless, perhaps, our minds have as their object the same nonphysical entity which each of us is calling government. (We might have given it different names, but the names would have a common, single referent.) Now we've come to speculative metaphysics, but my main point remains the same. You defined government such that it's a set of people, not their activites. To disperse the government would be no more than to disperse the set conceived in one's mind. Not exactly a worldchanging revolt.
If, on the other hand, you define government as the coordinated actions of several actual, living breathing human beings, then the sets problem vanishes. Now the government is something in the physical world, but again it does no work, for government, itself, is the work or activity. This definition suggests what I think you already realize is true anyway: Halting the organized criminalism is no more complicated than preventing the individuals responsible for government, in this latter sense of government, from acting in concert with one another. No great earthquake there, but I hope it suggests something important about liberals establishing an advantage over statists in terms of being able to act in concert. Another implication is that once most of the people who perform the actions called government fall asleep, most of the government vanishes from existence. In fact, much of the government has vanished by the time they are getting into bed.
(2) "nobody reads the constitution"
So it would appear. Or perhaps lots of people read it, or small portions of it, but they tend to project on to it what they want to find. Or they keep their mouths shut if they find an incoherency or something of which they disapprove. As Paul noted, it's a useful tool for the political class.
Nevertheless, I would argue that lots of people read the federal one but almost no one thinks about it very carefully. Take Article VII, for example. It reads that nine states' conventions must ratify the Constitution for it to be established as supreme law. But prior to establishment, that article can provide no such criteria. To suppose that it could is to presuppose establishment before establishment. So the criteria must come from outside the text of the Const. If ever the C. were established, Art. VII would be superfluous. (Note that Art. VII ends with the word "Same", contrary to what one regular contributor at LewRockwell.com claimed in a long book about the C. and its adoption.)
(3) Illinois' constitution has a few doozies. One is theocracy. The preamble begins, "We, the People of the State of Illinois—grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He has permitted us to enjoy...". (Emphasis mine.) Granted, theocracy is common among the provinces' constitutions. Later we find the preamble larded with soft socialism and parental mush "...in order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people;...; eliminate poverty and inequality; assure legal, social and economic justice; provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual;...".
(4) "So, when?"
How about at noon on day of the next equinox? A silent standing against the organized crime state. Wear black. Noon would be when the sun is at its highest in the sky wheresoever one happens to be, thus noon is not necessarily at 12:00. I have some other ideas, too, and have already written down a few.
Hat tip to TED. See video http://www.ted.com/talks/wael_ghonim_inside_the_egyptian_revolution.html, esp. 4:55. Ghonim mentioned everyone gathering for an hour, so if we followed that example and raised our hands at noon for a minute, harmony and balance suggest arriving thirty minutes before noon. These suggest also raising one's hand thirty seconds before noon.
Since movement building is important, I think it wise to repeat this silent standing procedure at the following equinox, as well as the solstices. The periods in between are, as ever, when the difficult work would be done to cultivate harmonious thinking on key points such as voluntaryism, the right to private property, ownership of one's own body, nonmonopoly of protection services (as with military communism), and so forth. Anthony Gregory published a long list of important concepts. The list can be found at The Libertarian Standard.
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On this date in 1898, "the French Ripper" Joseph Vacher was guillotined for a three-year homicidal spree through the French countryside.
Less renowned to posterity than the unidentified British contemporary to whom his nickname alluded, Vacher was thoroughly infamous in his day. The New York Times' report of his beheading noted that "[t]he crimes of Joseph Vacher have surpassed in number and atrocity those of the Whitechapel murderer."
After release as "completely cured" from a mental hospital to whose hapless mercies a failed murder-suicide — both murder and suicide failed — involving his unrequited love had left him, Vacher drifted through rural France from 1894 until his arrest in 1897 killing randomly, frequently, and savagely.
He left at least 11 victims, and possibly several dozen, often atrociously mutilating the bodies. The seeming sang-froid of his murders — one story has him coolly misdirecting a police officer in a frantic chase for the killer of a body he has left behind minutes before — and their horrific nature and extent threw his case into the eye of a public already fearful of "drifters".
If it is likely that the murders themselves demanded their author's execution regardless, Vacher's claim that madness — "simulated insanity", the Times called it — drove the killings and negated his culpability remained a challenging medical and judicial issue. As Susan A. Ashley writes in The Human Tradition in Modern France:
The … judicial proceedings centered on his mental competence. Could he be held responsible for his actions? He claimed that he acted on impulse, that he was driven to kill and maim by fits of uncontrollable rage. The court-appointed experts, however, concluded that he had carefully planned and carried out the killings, and the jury agreed.
Medical experts and legal authorities seriously disagreed over Vacher's mental state and over the limits of his legal responsibility. They examined his past and his behavior after his arrest and drew very different conclusions about his sanity.
On this day..
- 1829: Thomas Maynard, the last hanged for forgery - 2019
- 1666: James Blackwood and John M'Coul, two Covenanter martyrs - 2018
- 1793: Armand Louis de Gontaut - 2017
- 2006: Gong Runbo, serial killer - 2016
- 1819: John Booth and Thomas Wildish, minor crooks - 2015
- 1460: Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury - 2014
- 1502: Vitellozzo Vitelli and Oliverotto da Fermo, Borgia casualties - 2013
- 1987: Seven Suriname Maroons - 2012
- 1942: Three Bialystok Jews - 2011
- 1905: Rebellious workers of the Red Presnia district - 2010
- 1960: The assassins of Hazza Majali - 2009
- 1900: En Hai, the murderer of von Ketteler - 2008


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I have been trying to make mayonnaise and have had no luck. I have tried it 4 times now, twice in a Blendtec blender following their instructions online and twice following these directions . Each time the mayonnaise came out like yellow stinky soup.
I have been adding the oil very slowly, it takes about 2 minutes to add a cup. I have let my eggs warm up to room temperature for an hour. I have bought fresh eggs.
It looks so simple, but I am having no luck. Please help.


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Is it mean to point that out if it's the truth?
The U.S. doesn't need unskilled labor. The authors trot out "The nation needs energetic young workers to spur the economy and support an ever-increasing social-welfare burden." Uh, immigrants are around twice as likely as the native-born to be poor and use welfare. Among Hispanic immigrants, who represent the lion's share of the low-skilled workers the op-ed says we need "to support an ever-increasing social-welfare burden," the majority are on welfare. This isn't because they're lazy spongers – fully one-third of immigrant households with a worker present are on welfare. The problem is that a post-industrial, knowledge-based economy doesn't need additional low-skilled workers. As Milton Friedman famously said, "It's just obvious you can't have free immigration and a welfare state."
Advocates for illegal immigration LOVE to claim that illegals will do jobs "that Americans won't do." Of course, that's not true. A more accurate statement would be, "Because illegals don't buy health care or car insurance and they cheat on their taxes, they can do the same jobs as law abiding Americans at a lower cost."
But setting that aside, what are the jobs we're talking about? Picking strawberries? Handyman work? Cutting brush?
Although we may have a few exceptions, say in the construction industry, most illegals are doing manual labor that doesn't require an education or any special skills. There's nothing wrong with that work, but typically, it pays very little and it's a young man's game. Put another way, most people who do that sort of work aren't paying income tax when they're young and are unable to do it when they're old because it's too strenuous.
So, if you're talking about illegals, you're talking about people who would take more money out of the system than they'll ever put into it.
As a nation, why do we want to bring in people to collect welfare, food stamps, end up on disability and generally take more than they give? Yes, that's not every illegal immigrant, but it is a good description of the majority of illegals and we're being told we essentially have a choice between "all" or "none." Again, there's nothing wrong with any honest job, including picking oranges and strawberries, but as a nation we'd benefit much more from bringing in scientists, engineers, and computer programmers than people who bring nothing of significance to the table other than a willingness to break the law in order to do manual labor at below market labor rates.


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New Exhibit Announcement: Blacktip Reef is Coming in 2013!
Beginning in summer 2013, you will be able to enjoy Blacktip Reef, a breathtaking exhibit full of color, light, and movement located in the heart of National Aquarium.
- News
Beginning in summer 2013, you will be able to enjoy Blacktip Reef, a breathtaking exhibit full of color, light, and movement located in the heart of National Aquarium.
This coral-filled exhibit, replicating Indo-Pacific reefs, is active with life that guests can experience from many vantage points of National Aquarium, including a new floor-to-ceiling pop-out viewing window that allows guests to virtually step inside the exhibit and come face-to-face with the animals.
As National Aquarium guests enjoy the exhibit, they can feel their heart race as a pack of blacktip reef sharks speed toward them. They may take a deep breath as they witness the rise and fall of a 5-foot-wide whipray's massive fins beneath their feet. Explore deeper and they may spot an ornate wobbegong shark camouflaged against the reef bottom. New species will join some of National Aquarium's beloved animals including Calypso, the 400-pound green sea turtle, and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe, in their new home.
The namesake animal of the new exhibit, the blacktip reef shark, is a smaller shark species that can grow to about 6 feet in length and bears distinctive black tips on its fins. Blacktip reef sharks are found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, hanging around reefs to feed. These sharks are sleek, beautiful, fast-moving, and hunt cooperatively in groups.
Be sure to check our website for additional information and updates on the exhibit's progress!